Ventilated grain-crib or silo.



w W. A. CALDWELL, VENTILATED 0mm cm OR SILO.

1,298,174. APPLICATION FILED MAY 9. I918 Patented Liar. 25, I 2 EEEEEEEEEEEE I.

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VENHLATED (mm cm 08 SILO.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9.1918. 1,298, 174. Patented Mar. 25,1919.

5mm: n tot UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WARREN A. CALDWELL, d1 OBKALOOBA, IOWA.

VENTILA'IED GRAIN-CRIB OR SILC.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I WARREN A. Gnu) WELL, a citizen of the llnited States, residin at Oskaloosa, in the county of Mahaska an t l State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ventilated Grain-Cribs or Silos, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved grain crib or silo of the general type illus trated in Patent No, 1.249.420, issued to me October 9, 1917, and has as its primary object to provide a structure which will be properly ventilated for drying out or curln grain or other crop stored therein.

The invention has as a further object to provide a stave for forming the structure which will be constructed with ventilating. openings therethrough nd wherein reinforcing barswill be employed within the stave and so arranged as to form gratings ext-end ing across such openings.

A. further object of the invention is to )rovide a stave wherein the ratio 5 formed y the reinforcing bars t iereo will be adapted not only to prevent waste of any stored material throu h the ventilating openings of the stave gut also adapted to prevent the entrance of rodents through the said openin s. 7

And the invention has as a still further object to rovide a stave so constructed that the venti ating openings may be formed therein at the time the stave is molded.

Other and incidental objects will a pear as the description proceeds In the rawings wherein I have illustrated the referred embodiment of the invention, and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughput the several views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing a silo or grain bin constructed in accordance with the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing one of the stoves of the structtu'e. in detail arid particularly illustrating the ventilatingflo enings therein aswell as the dispositiorrip the reinforcing bars for the stave to form gratin? at the said openings,

ig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, this view articularly showing the disposition of t. e reinforcing bets medially of the stove,

Fig. tis wfragmentary vertical section taken 'on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 25, 1919.

Application filed May 8. 1918. 8erla1No.288,618.

Fig. 5 is a fratgmentary vertical sectional view similar to lg. 4 and taken on the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings I have. in Fig. 1. shown a crib or ventilated silo constructed in accordance with the present improvements. A stave of the design shown particularly in Fi 2 is employed and in the construction of t e crib c said staves are arranged in courses built successively upon each other. However. it should in this connection be observed that the outer end edges of the stares forming the top and bottom courses of the structure are straight. so that the bottom course may rest flat upon a suitable foundation while a roof of approved character may be erected upon the top course.

As previously intimated. the stove of the present invention is. in its general form. similar to the stave disclosed in my prior patent referred to and in Fig. "2. of the drawmgs I have shown the stave in detail. This stave. is preferably oblong in outline and is fmmed of concrete or other similar material. The longitudinal ed es of the stave are respectively concave an convex, as indicated at 10 and 11. the concave edge of one stave being adapted to receive the convex edge of an adjacent stave so that the longitudinal edges of abutting stoves will intertit. At its ends the stave is reversely offset so that the ends of the staves of One course of a structure erected therefrom will, as shown in Fig. 1. match with and overlap the abutting ends of the staves of a superposed ourse. Transverse ofi'set edge ortions 12 and 13 respectively are thus de need at one end of the stave. These edge portions are approximatel of equal length and are joined medially of the stoves by a longitudinlal portion or shoulder 14. As particular y s are provided with a continuous medial .rib

15 terminating in spaced relation o-the'side faces of the stave to define flat n' rginal end faces 16. At its opposite end e stave is formed with transverse offset e e portions 17 and 18 respectively corresponding to the edge portions 12 and 13 atthe other end of the stave and joined at their inner extremities by a medial longitudinal edge. portion or shoulder 19 corresponding to theshoulder 14. Formed in the edge portions 17, 18 and 19 is a continuous medial groove 20 adapted to receive the rib 15 of an abutting.

mum in Fig. 4, these several portions stave and defining fiat marginal end faces 21. Thus, it will be seen that in the erection of a structure as shown in Fig. 1, the

grooves 20 of the staves of one course will 5 receive the ribs of the staves of a subjacent course so that the staves will thus intrfit in overlapping relation at their ends while the flat end faces 16 and 21 of the staves will abut for sustaining the major portion of the load of the staves and thus prevent undue lateral strain within the channels 20. It will therefore be seen that the'staves of the several courses will coact to provide a rigid structure since the staves will interlock at their meetin edges. Surrounding the overlapping en' portions of the staves at the 'unction of the courses thereof are suitable oops adapted to bind the staves of the several courses together and rigidly brace the structure against expansion under the influence of internal pressure set up when the crib is filled.

In order that the crib may be formed for properly ventilating or dryin out its con tents, I construct the stave of t e present invention withventilating openings 22. -The number of openings employed in each stave may, of course, be varied as desired but I preferably form the stave with two of the said openings spaced medially 0f the stave to extend longitudinally thereof. An intermediate web 23 is thus defined between the inner ends of the said openings. Embedded within the stave medially thereof to extend 35 across the ventilating openings is a plurality rigid reinforcing rods or bars 24 which arranged substantially parallel to each other to extend longitudinally of the stave. These reinforcing bars thus extend medially through the web 23 for bracing the said web and at their end portions project beyond the outer ends of the ventilating openings into the body of the stave so that the saidgbars will thus also longitudinally reinfoire the stave. At the same time, these bars will, as will now be clear, form gratings across the ventilating openings adapted to retain the contents of the crib so that wasting thereof will be avoided while afree circulation of air through the ventilating openings will be permitted for properly ventilating or drymg out the contents of the crib. Furthermore, by spacing the reinforcing bars closely together, the gratings will prevent the entrance of rodents into the crib.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is: ii

1. A concrete silo stave including an elongated body portion having' spaced openings formed therein and extending in the direction of the length of the stave and, opening through the opposite side faces thereof, said openings defining A an intermediateconnecting web, ands plurality of rigid reinforcing bars having their intermediate portions extending through the connecting web and their opposite ends extended across said openings and embedded in the body portion to form a grating.

2. A concrete silo stave including a solid elongated body portion having spaced openings formed therein medially of the stave and extending in the direction of the length thereof and opening through the opposite side faces of said stave, said openings defining an intermediate connecting web, and a plurality of laterally spaced ri id reinforcing bars having their interme late portions extending through the connecting web at the center thereof and their opposite ends extended across said openings and embedded in the body portion to form a grating.

3. A concrete silo stave including a solid elongated body portion having substantially rectangular openings formed therein and extending in the direction of the length of the stave and opening through the opposite side faces thereof, the outer walls of said openings terminating short of the adjacent ends of the stave and the inner walls, of said openings being spaced apart to form an in-' termediate connecting web, and a plurality of laterally swced rigid longitudinal reinforcing rods having their intermediate portions embedded in and extended through the connecting web at substantially the center thereof and their opposite ends extended across said openings with the terminals of the rods embedded in the body portion be tween the outer walls of the openings and the adjacent ends of the stave.

4. A ventilated concrete silo including a plurality of vertically disposed solid staves arranged end to end in superposed courses and each provided with spaced openingsextending in the direction of the length of the stave and opening through the opposite side faces thereof and defining an interme diate connecting web,.and a plurality of rigid longitudinal reinforcin bars embedded in each stave with the intemnediate portions of the bars extending through the connecting web and the opposite ends of said bars extended across the adjacent openings and terminatin short of the adjacent ends of the stave, tie reinforcin bars of the staves of the difi'erent courses eing disposed substantially in vertical alinement with each other and retaining hoops encircling the silo. at the junction of the ends of adjacent staves.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature WARREN A. CALDWELL. 14.1 

